humming the ripples
by youchuu
Summary: The stories and lives of a couple of kids, and a man who's been to hell and back. Cover by りくお on Pixiv.
1. mellow pillow

A steady rumble echoed from the vehicle, ensuring that if sie ever dared to rest hir head it would undoubtedly cause concussion. Thus, sie held posture, ignoring the way in which the boxes around hir shifted and tumbled in favor of quelling a growing headache. The temperature inside was suffocating. Whose idea had it been to dress hir in long sleeves, button-down, and jeans reaching the ankle? Such were clothes normally suited for colder weather, not at all the ripening spring awaiting hir. A pale hand, knuckles exposed and scuffed red, rose to tug at hir knitted cap. It wouldn't be much longer.

The boxes that littered the interior of the truck were few in number, containing mainly clothing and various other possessions. Perhaps some of it was unneeded, but the presence of it was enough to calm hir rather agitated nerves. Being confined between metallic walls and flaps of cardboard would be enough to irritate even the most patient of people. Unfortunately, sie was not of that category. The constant rattle shaking the truck to its very core seemed to exist only to grate further on hir already splitting headache. How lucky for hir that capped head decided that day would be ideal for a migraine.

Though it seemed hir journey would be coming to a close, as the bumps and subtle jostle grew less frequent, suggesting the road ahead was smoothing out. A sigh escaped parched lips. Long awaited father likely resided at the end of the trodden path, a face sie hadn't glimpsed in years time, and for good reason.

The truck stopped abruptly, contents shaking with the impact, and soon after the door parting hir from the world beyond rattled and slid upwards. Bright, blinding light shone into the otherwise darkened container. Freedom only mere feet away, the child, though not so young anymore, stood. Pupils contracted, adjusting to the light, as sneakers stepped forth onto a new path. How symbolic in nature, and yet it didn't seem to mean very much to Ruby. Uprooting and relocating from town to town was second nature to hir.

The first thing that crossed hir mind, albeit vague and foggy, was a faint yet distinct stench known only as "farm smell." Sie had been told prior that this town was rural in nature, and yet there being crops and _livestock_ was nothing short of astonishing for a suburban child. Moreover, the soil puffed in shapeless clouds of dust with each step. Filthy, one could say, the sort of place young girls and boys would slip and scrape their knees, entertaining themselves with whatever odd trinkets they could get their hands on. Though, this was just speculation garnered from years of television and library books. When it came to substantial, real world experience, sie was sadly lacking. Such was the purpose for hir visit to this particular region of the country, guised as mere enthusiasm for helping out at hir father's shop. Of course, there were other factors involved as well.

The van had pulled up by the curb, beside a building of somewhat peculiar fashion, quaint in its own way. The sign noting its title seemed to rest on its last hinges, dangling precariously above doors claiming to be "open" in large red type. With a start, they swung open, revealing a man of reasonable stature and broad shoulder span. Though not exactly large, it was clear that he carried an air of strength, perhaps arrogance, with every step.

This man...was hir father?

"Ruby, my boy," remarked the man, ignoring the way sie cringed at the use of the word. "You're finally here, hm? How was the trip?" He began to laugh, barely pausing for reply. "Why don't we get you inside? I can handle the boxes." Norman's eyes twinkled, delighted that his child had come to stay for a spell, and ushered Ruby through the shop's doors. Relief sank over wearied shoulders, yet guilt as well, knowing that said favor would have to be paid back in full. Unlike hir mother who remained honest in her affection, hir father believed firmly in discipline and substantial labor, neither of which Ruby happened to be very fond of. It would only be a matter of time.

Their previous encounters had been brief visits, at most for a handful of weeks at a time, and seldomly at that. Although by hir mother's words, there had certainly been a reason for the separation. It occurred to hir that sie knew little of the shop's layout, having last visited several years before. Naturally there laid shelves stocked with items of all sorts, and a register set up in the far corner, but no path upstairs was in sight. Thus, the not-so-child in the knitted cap crept through narrow passages, careful to avoid knocking anything out of place, as the store was very cramped in its design.

Not long after, a door revealed itself, having blended into the walls' paneling from afar. Fingers rubbed red and raw wrapped about the knob, turning it without thought. Naturally, it slid open, baring a row of stairs arching beyond what mere human eyes could see. With every uncertain step taken, it would creak and moan, perhaps reluctant to bear the weight of a person such as hirself so early in the evening. Upon reaching the top, sie was met with a hallway, three doors shut tight lining the interior. One, the child presumed, would be hir father's bedroom; therefore, one of the remaining two would hold hir new room, in which sie would be resting for the time being. It would be best to make up for lost sleep sooner rather than later.

Ruby chose a door at random, finding yet another knob, tarnished metal from previous use. It took somewhat more effort to force open, but the results were rewarding. Judging by the minimal decor, this was the room sie had been seeking. The door shut with a slight nudge, and handmade hat was tossed onto the desk, which would surely come in handy in the future. The only other things of note were a bed with mild blankets and a single framed painting of a flower. It would almost be expected of a motel room, though it lacked a built-in bathroom. Free from the long endured bindings of the moving van, sie collapsed, almost missing the bed and smacking hir head on the hardwood flooring.

It wasn't particularly soft or comfortable, nor supportive in any way, yet nevertheless it felt akin to heaven by hir travel-worn nerves. Mother's parting words, father's twinkling eyes, and the smell of a nearby farm were all that occupied hir head as sie drifted off to sleep. Better to worry about the details in the morning.


	2. home state of future shore

Drawn open eyes, tinted vaguely red, and squinted at once. Light pouring in from the windowside was searing, burning into the back of hir eyelids. It wasn't hot, exactly, but uncomfortable all the same. Stiff joints contracted, pulled tired body upward, and the child found that all of hir belongings were piled in boxes around the room. Yet unpacked, bringing the question to mind of how sie could possibly sort through it all. Even more, figure sleepy from such a long drive had neglected to change into proper pajamas, instead resting in hir clothing. Troublesome, to say the least.

Legs slid to one side, draping over the edge of the bed, and met the floor with a subtle thump. It was early morning, that much sie knew, but the alarm clock placed on the night-table beside seemed to have lost its pace long before. There was a watch stowed away in one of the boxes, probably, though it must have been far too deep to rummage for. Luckily for hir, fresh clothes were simple enough to find, and sie changed into them with vigor. Norman often woke early, such was his philosophy, and he'd likely grow impatient waiting for his child to rise from bed. His anger was not something Ruby wished to face.  
Upon leafing through the various articles crammed into cardboard, sie came upon something particularly... Well, it didn't much matter; hir father would throw a fit if he ever saw hir in it. Piling other, more acceptable clothing above it, nimble hands folded the box shut. No one really had to know. Sie was well acquainted with the manner in which the "average Joe" would react to such a thing.

Tying sneakers with a hasty knot, the child threw open the door and bounded down the stairs, ignoring the moans and creaks under the weight of hir relatively lanky figure. Sure as day, Norman stood behind the counter, the crooked sign taped to the door marked "open" once again. "You're up late," remarked the man. "It's already 7 in the morning. Don't you have school?" Eyes widened, limbs suddenly burdened, weighted with lead. Wrapped up in nostalgia and introspection, the thought had utterly escaped hir. Did sie have supplies? Pencils, notebooks, folders, all tossed into a sizable bag? Or had sie been admitted on a whim? Little of the year was left, to be sure, but certainly there must be some purpose? If the child searched hir things, perhaps some tools would reveal themselves.

Setting off immediately, sie dashed up the stairs once more, ripping open the boxes with unforeseen force and tossing various articles about the room, strewn all over the floor. A sigh left gnawed lips as scraped fingers lifted a dulled pencil to the air, eraser hardened with time, and a binder filled with looseleaf soon after. Ruby silently thanked hir mother for her insightful predictions. Realizing with a start that sie was nearly out of time, the search for a bag was abandoned, carrying minimal supplies in arms whilst racing down the stairs, out the door. The child didn't bother to say goodbye.

That had been a foolish move, as the youth in the knitted cap didn't actually know where the bus stop was. Indeed, the street was nearly empty, trees looming overhead in a canopy of green, though light trickled through the cracks. In the distance, straining eyes behind framed glasses, sie could almost spot a crowd of people. No noise reached far enough to be audible, but something nagged, tugged hir in the direction of those ahead. Not exactly wishing to be a part of the group, but through some sort of innate instinct. Wherever they might be going, it was likely in the right direction.  
Starting ahead, first at a steady pace, accelerating gradually into a sprint, sie paused at the edge of the crowd, a ways away as to not penetrate the flock chattering endlessly. Legs ached even from such a short distance crossed, and breath heaved. Sie was clearly unused to hurrying about so much, clutching hir chest in exhaustion.  
It was not long before the bus pulled up, halting itself right at the curb. Its wheels, traction long worn, tossed and scattered the gravel beneath. The yellow coat upon it scorched tinted eyes to a crisp. To think, sie had wound up in this predicament by choice alone, though the prospect of a fresh location was promising, to say the least. A moment passed before the doors folded, slid open with a start, and the crowd of children, some heads sticking up above the mass, piled onto the vehicle. Ruby was the last to board, and reluctantly so.

Unfamiliar faces lined the rows, all the seats taken by close friends and acquaintances. They seemed to stare back at hir, eyes glaring through hir glasses and piercing to the core. Sie was sure they didn't know, they couldn't possibly. Yet, the anxiety weighed in hir gut, pressing the child forward until a single open seat laid at the end of the pathway. There was room for two, one spot occupied by a somewhat heavy boy, but there seemed to be no other choice. Scrawny legs buckled, seating hirself on the edge rather awkwardly, binder and pencil still clutched in arms.

The bus wheezed and sputtered in its old age, and shut its doors in preparation for the bulk of the trip. The sensation was not a new one, far from it, but the feeling was unique. Past the boy beside him, eyes scanned what lay outside the fogged window. Houses of similar design one after another, grass frayed in the beginning of summer's heat, only paused to allow a narrow street through. This went on for a short time, until they reached a barren stretch of land. This, sie concluded, must be where the farm smell had originated. Rows and rows of crops passed by, mere blots in the speed of their travel. It felt as if it'd never end.  
But end it did, as the bus managed to turn a corner, rolling up to the side of a surprisingly large school. Hir legs complained as if whining about rising from the seat, but a glimpse of dried gum caused hir to jolt upright. It was instinctual, indeed.

The doors opened once more, then, and its inhabitants began to file outside onto the pavement. Sie managed to find a spot amongst the bustle, though difficult to keep up with the traffic. The smells, however, of all the students combined was enough to worsen hir headache, which seemed to linger as a constant in this particular region. Rather than advancing with the crowd, as feet finally met the solid ground of sidewalk, sie directed toward the office, or rather, where it should have been. The area jutted out from the main portion of the school, and this was where the child headed.

Stepping into the building, an instant chill swept down hir spine, rocking to hir very bones. How funny, sie mused, that today happened to be the day that sie had chosen to wear shorter sleeves. No jacket was present either, so sie would have to make due and bear the cold. It might even aid hir headache. The interior was, of course, more or less what had been expected. Smooth floors squared in by walls partially tiled, with the remaining part somewhat grainy. Doors lined one after another farther down the hall. The entrance to the office was less of a door than it was an archway, and scrawny form allowing, sie strolled right in. It took a moment or two for the woman behind the counter to recognize hir, being apparently very absorbed in the sheets of paper that littered the desk, but when she lifted her head it was clear sie had rung a bell. She seemed to leap back, as if startled by hir sudden presence.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I was just...just sorting through some things." Her eyes narrowed slightly, cheeks chubby in a warm sort of way. "I don't think I recognize you. Hmm, you wouldn't happen to be the new kid, would you?" Manicured fingers leaf through a few papers, before drawing out one in particular. It likely had hir face printed on it, as the woman's expression lightened at once. "Ah! Ruby, is it? You're upstairs, room 217. Mr. Wallace is your homeroom teacher; I'm sure he'll lend you a hand."  
Rather taken aback by that energetic display, sie thanked her with a smile, charming as always, and left without a word. Being honest, sie was absolutely clueless as to where the staircase was, or if one even existed and the students used some sort of fancy elevator. Resolving that nothing would be accomplished by simply standing there, the child started off down the hall at a quickened pace, knowing that regardless of hir actions sie would be late.

Sie began to absentmindedly count the tiles on the wall. Some were varying colors, and it entertained hir to find exactly how many reddish ones there were. Tinted eyes had glimpsed no such staircase yet, and sie was beginning to lose hir patience. One by one, the tiles dotted the path before hir, and sie was so absorbed in this that it came as a great shock as the child struck the wall, having reached a dead end. This was not entirely bad, however, as ignoring the way in which hir head was vaguely throbbing, to the right stood a door marked with the word "stairs." A cry of relief escaped hir, and sie threw open the door, shutting it mindfully behind. As satisfying as it would be to hear it click with a great slam, there were likely students behind those doors engaged in their work and sensitive to any unusual noise. It was with this thought that Ruby climbed the stairs, turning as they wound a corner, and found a second door at the end. This was very encouraging, having just wandered aimlessly for several minutes.

Past the door, naturally, were yet further sets of doors, light spilling from the small windows embedded in them. One could stop and wonder for hours, how many students had traversed these halls, and where exactly they had ended up. Though that in itself was sort of depressing. Sie couldn't imagine any scenario where a child from a rural school would end up the chief executive officer of some sort of major company. At this point, sie was paying close attention to the number markings beside each door, counting along as sie roamed past rooms 214, 215, even 216. Eyes catching on that number, sie turned about, suddenly faced with the door at which hir next several weeks would be determined. Anxiety once again bubbled within hir stomach to boiling point, bursting through ribs effortlessly. Further thoughts only served to boost this, but sie would not be swayed, instead rounding up the charm garnered from years of skillful socialization—or so sie would like to think. Firm hands turned the knob, pressing open the door with a gentle creak.

The sound emanating from the class quieted at once, the teacher staring at hir for a moment, but that was all it took for the man to waltz forward, graceful in his posture, and offer a pleasant greeting. One could easily remark on his hair, swept back, or the long coat that draped over his nimble frame, and sie did consider this, but deemed it rude and unnecessary at once and instead returned the gesture. "It seems we've an addition to our group. Why don't you introduce yourself?" hummed a voice smooth as wine. It was to be expected that the man would know of hir enrollment, surely. Nonetheless, the child appreciated the offer to form an impression on hir own. So long as sie was careful, little could go wrong.

Sneakers stepped forth, now dusted with dew and dirt, while a hand rose to adjust hir hat. "I'm Ruby. I moved here yesterday, from a city on the coast. I like—" Fashion? No, that would gather suspicion. Sewing and photography were also risky options. A lie would do, probably. "Sports. I like sports, and games." This seemed to be the right choice, as several faces in the crowd lit up. Wallace merely looked amused.

"There seems to be an open seat next to Miss Birch, right there. You don't mind, do you?" The question was directed not to hir, but to the girl beside the empty desk. She had a bandaid on her cheek and her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, and a grin upon her lips.

"Nope!" Her mouth parted for only a moment, but already questionable vision could have sworn hir that she bore some sharp canines. Ruby was slightly put off by her appearance, naturally, but held hir posture and took the child up on her offer. Appearances meant everything, after all.


	3. Ever snow like dust days

note: i apologize for the delay, and thank you to the reviewer that pointed out the formatting error in the last chapter; it has since been fixed.

* * *

Minutes seeped through the cracks in the walls, every snap of the clock's clever hands sending further to soak the outdated motivational posters lining the walls and sprout a growing fog in hir head. Needless to say, the atmosphere left something to be desired. Eyes squinted behind glasses invented for that very purpose, yet couldn't manage to focus on whatever was written on the whiteboard. It was with that growing frustration that caused a less than cordial reaction when the student seated beside gave a tap on hir arm.

"He's pretty boring today, huh? You'd think a new kid like you being here'd lighten him up, but I guess not." Her voice in a relative whisper, but still scraping harsh vowels in hir eardrums, jolted Ruby out of a vague stupor. Irritable nature arose, drawing an involuntary sigh out coarse lips. Sie was not, put lightly, in a mood for idle chat. Yet, this didn't seem to deter her at all. With another nudge on the arm, a bit rougher, "Y'don't think it's his girlfriend, do you? Rumor is they fought the other day and haven't talked since." She grinned at hir, sharp canines protruding almost menacingly, and sie knew it wouldn't be wise to flee from this so easily.

So, with a somewhat guilty expression, sie whispered in return, "Girlfriend?"

This produced a slight glint in her eyes, grin hardened into a bit of a smirk. "Ms. Winona, she runs the dance studio next to the nail place. You know where that is, right?" As sie shook hir head, Sapphire narrowed her eyes somewhat. "They've been together for years now, but rumor is, she just found out he'd given up a big business opportunity that would have led them out of town. He said it was 'cause he didn't wanna make her leave her hometown, but now she's upset because she feels like she's been holding him back, or something." Her mock serious expression turned playful, amusement evident on catlike features. "That's what I heard, anyway."

Without missing a beat, Ruby responded, "How come he didn't talk to her about it beforehand?" But at once, disrupting the daze sie had found hirself in amidst the drama of her story—

"Ruby! I understand you're new here, but now is not the time to be chatting." A distinct red flushed on normally pale cheeks, with newfound annoyance for hir talkative classmate. Sie felt as if everyone's eyes rested on hir at once, and buried hirself in a secondhand textbook. Little pen marks dotted the pages, accompanied by underlines of certain words and notes in the margins, and sie found hirself wondering how any of it could have gone unnoticed, how Sapphire's comments had reached none, but when sie had gone to speak it had sparked immediate reprimand. Deciding that it had been all the girl's fault for tempting hir into a conversation, sie resolved to ignore her for the remainder of the day.

This did not entirely work out.

Some hour or so later, as they were working through a reasonably challenging packet, she tapped hir on the shoulder again. This, however, only elicited ignorance that time around, the new student unwilling to get hirself into yet more trouble. Yet another tap followed, and several more, until Ruby could no longer pretend sie hadn't felt it. Eyes drew up from printed pages, somewhat aching from the strain. Rather than bother to answer her with words, sie opted to raise a single eyebrow, causing her childish pout to lift immediately. "Look at this," she said, raising her own paper, which bore a doodle of Ruby looking very serious. Challenged, pencil returned to paper to draw hir own rendition of the loud and ungraceful little Sapphire, but was stopped short as Wallace stepped toward hir desk, lifting the paper and skimming over it. Apparently he had begun checking papers some minutes ago, and his eyes, reaching the unflattering depiction of hir classmate, did not look amused.

"The style has potential, but your proportions could use some work." The children around hir laughed, and sie swore that sie would give the girl no more attention, not even a glance. This was to be a fresh start. Chances were, sie wouldn't be moving again for a good while after such a long trip, so to build a good first impression was of the utmost importance. Ruby would not be having any of this.

She attempted to gather hir notice a handful of times afterward, but got no further reaction. After a time, she gave up. It might be wise even so, sie thought, to consult the teacher about a change in seating. Though with such a packed classroom, it might not do much good. As attractive the idea of being a row or two away from the indelicate, tactless girl was, sie had no way of knowing if the others surrounding them were any worse.

Homework distributed, the clock told it was nearly time for their leave, causing hir to wonder somewhat where the last few hours had gone. No lessons could be recalled, suggesting that sie had yet to adjust to the pace of this school. All in all, frustrating and discouraging, and there laid no doubt in hir mind that someone would eventually approach hir about the lie told in hir introduction about a fondness for sport. Exhaustion wracked the child.

The bell rang, resounding shrill and true, signaling the withdrawing of the students from their long held seats and releasing into the fresh, country air and sun baking the earth beneath it. The scuffle and squeak of movement filled the room, as the mass of them spilled out into the hallways. Once the majority of them had left, including the ever energetic Sapphire, Ruby took that as hir cue to approach the teacher who remained seated at his own desk.

"Excuse me," sie began, drawing his attention at once. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I shouldn't have been fooling around in class like that. It's sort of overwhelming for me right now, and being around someone like Sapphire just served to distract me. She's loud, and she talks too much, and she's got a really abrasive personality..." A pause. "I don't mean to be rude, but is there any way I could switch seats with someone?" Words dissolving into dry air, sie suddenly became very aware of another pair of eyes upon them. A sharp turn, and sie glimpsed bright blues through the window in the door for a moment, before the girl possessing them ran off at once.

Realizing that hir words had been heard, a sense of panic overtook hir, dashing out with binder in hand. Sie didn't even wait for a response. Even through the annoyance and impatience inherent to the situation, sie didn't really _hate_ her. The feeling was complex, but Ruby was sure in that sie definitely had not intended to hurt her. The child pushed through the crowds, unending as they seemed, and ridiculously slow. Did they hold no regard for those around them? This worked to hir advantage, however, as Sapphire too seemed to have been caught by the mass of students. Upon spotting hir, she seemed to look down, unwilling to meet eyes as she had done so readily before. Caught within the tide, it took a fair amount of minutes before the two reached the world beyond patterned windows and double doors. At this point, she seemed less inclined to run, though with guilt evident on her features.

"I'm sorry, I didn't... I only wanted to help you get to know the place a little. We don't get new kids too often, and I was excited, but I guess I should have thought it through more." Her hand rose, scraped and smudged with graphite, to tug a bit at the small ponytail on the back of her head, oddly not bothering to fix up the locks that hung at the sides of her face.

"No, I shouldn't have been so harsh. It wasn't fair of me to talk about you like that." Had those words left hir lips? Who'd thought _those_ up? With all seriousness, the child could hardly grasp what sie was saying at that point. "Actually, I'm...grateful. Thank you for, uh, welcoming me. I appreciate it."

That seemed to be a trigger of some sort, because she began bouncing on her heels before sie could draw in another breath. All guilt forgotten, bright ceruleans grew big and round, mouth twisting into that familiar catlike grin. Somehow, sie had missed it. "Have you ever seen a farm before? I bet you haven't." When Ruby replied that, indeed, sie had never seen one in person, she punched the air excitedly. "I'll take you to my place; it isn't far, and you'll get to meet the chickens." Something told hir that this was an irregular thing, or it had become so, because she looked the happiest yet, not even pausing to wait for confirmation. Instead, she grabbed hir hand roughly, and started off down the road.

"Far" seemed to be very much relative, as sie was quite positive they'd gone a couple of miles on foot, at least. Furthermore, the sidewalk cut away soon after they'd cleared the school area, dragging hir nice sneakers through more dirt and dust than sie would have preferred. The rough and tumble country child look might have suited Sapphire, but for hir it was less than desirable. Sie almost considered calling hir father up, noting the possibility of being needed to help out at the store, but the prospect of telling him sie was visiting with a girl wasn't very appealing. With the sort of person sie knew Norman to be, he would make something out of the situation that simply wasn't, and that was the last thing sie needed.

Sapphire had been chattering away the entire walk without interruption, about this one person sie simply _had_ to meet, and various places they would need to go together. As the road drew to an end, though, their pace finally slowed. It appeared that the two had reached their destination. Here, she finally let go, though the child had long forgotten about the temporary bond of skin. "See? It wasn't that long of a walk. Took like five minutes, right?" In those words, her tone was laughing, eyes closed, but sie had no doubt that behind lids scrunched shut they were dancing.

They drew themselves down the far trodden path, dry blades of grass poking up from the edges and afternoon sun beating down on bared skin. Her house, or what sie assumed to be, had long been in sight, but they did not head inside right at once. Instead, the two wandered toward the fence enclosed area behind, taking care to shut the gate properly behind them. A distinctive smell reached hir nose, though what it warned of sie could not place. This was, however, almost immediately answered by a gentle clucking coming from the other direction. Turning walls peeling with old red paint and dust brought into view a rather excitable bird, rumpled feathers tinted the russet of baked earth and clay. As if greeting a cat or dog, Sapphire knelt down to bid it hello.

Looking around, sie supposed, the area of land wasn't exactly sufficient for a farm true to definition, and there didn't seem to lay much more in the yard beyond chickens. The word choice might just have been on sentiment, though the child did not doubt the effort that clearly went into caring for the animals. That was evident if only in the way she looked at them. A moment past head bobbed up from its prior position to grin at hir with equal enthusiasm, expression stretching ear to ear. Surprise, though not discomfort, shook hir posture. "This is Chic. Say hi to Ruby, now..." She fussed with the bird as if pressing it to greet hir itself. In response, it merely clucked dismissively and turned away. Sapphire pouted. "Aww, c'mon, he came all this way to meet you!"

The sensation was the same every time. Put on ice, the child couldn't exactly speak up, and before even a gesture could be waved the moment had passed and the other had forgotten all about it. The intention, of course, hadn't been to harm, but the result was the same nonetheless. Lest sie wanted a reiteration of last time, it wouldn't be wise to speak up. This was to be a fresh start, and sie had known that from the beginning. Safety, not comfort, would come first and foremost.

Startling both children, at once, the door at the back of the house began to rattle, swinging open with what looked little force spent, to reveal a broad-framed man. With the familiar brown the hair lining his full jaw took and the manner in which his small eyes seemed to glint in the light, the relation was clear. What sie felt then might have been identifiable as relief, rocking hir form to its roots and soothing the edge put on in the moments before. The escape was only temporary, but appreciated even so, with the inevitable confrontation put off further into the future.

A hum of simulated thought echoed from the man as he seemed to study hir features, finally coming together in a note of satisfaction. "You're Norman's kid, aren't you? He'd said you were coming over one of these days. I can see the resemblance, though you've got some of your mother in there too." His tone was friendly and unassuming, though Ruby had to wonder how so many people claimed to be familiar with hir father. Was he some sort of celebrity, or was that simply the dynamic of a small town? The man did not pause for response, however, and ushered the two inside.

Drawing in from the heat and faint buzzing of insects, sie found the home to be quite a snug fit, past "cozy" and rather more along the lines of "cramped." It took hir best effort as to not bump an elbow on a protruding shelf or object, undoubtedly quilted with dust that would rise up in a fog if disturbed. The floor sympathized, moaning beneath every step, though the girl and her father did not seem to mind. With some maneuvering, they managed to seat themselves along a small table, where some sandwiches clearly prepared in advance were waiting with a pitcher of lemonade.

Sie hadn't realized the extent of hir own hunger and thirst after the sizable trip that was their walk to the farm, such as it was. The conversation proved to be a suitable distraction, however. Professor Birch, as he was titled, folded somewhat inelegant fingers. "So, Ruby, is it? When did you get here? Your father hasn't said anything. If I'd known, I would have planned a barbeque or something. Though, come to think of it, I'm not sure the chickens would like that." A good natured smile was given, thus sie met it with one fairly pleasant, answering that it had all been fairly sudden.

And indeed it had, for the child had been thrust into a truck with hir belongings having only finished packing the day before. One would think hir mother would have delayed hir departure somewhat if only to say goodbye, but she seemed to have business of her own to attend to. She would most likely phone them up within the next few days; Ruby could be reasonably certain of that.

Appearing to take notice of the pause in conversation, Sapphire interjected. "We got put in the same class in school. Kinda neat, huh? Though, with my luck, he'll probably be dragged off by some sports team." Another silent wince. "Hmm, you're kinda scrawny... Didn't you say you were into all that? What'd you play at your old school?" The exchange had taken an uncomfortable turn. Sie swallowed, reluctant to admit to having lied so blatantly. In all honesty, sie knew very little about sports and the like.

"The...one with a ball. You, uh, kick it?" Hesitation was evident in hir tone, trembling and barely managing not to trail off into silence. Somehow, this seemed to be a satisfying answer, as the girl and her father's face lit up in understanding.

"Soccer? I guess I can see that." Saved, so far as sie could tell. Moreover, sunset looked to be tinting the horizon, giving hir a chance to escape. Playing cis was exhausting as ever, and the child certainly hadn't planned on paying anyone a visit. Sapphire and Birch seemed to be nice enough as far as people went, but regarding their undeniable connection to hir father, nothing could really be done. They did, however, prepare fantastic sandwiches.

"I should be getting home soon... My father is probably wondering where I am." Excuses, though sie sincerely doubted Norman cared how sie spent hir afternoons. At most, he would be lamenting he had sent hir to school rather than look after the shop for him. Birch bought the lie, such as it was, and offered to drive hir home in his truck, to which Ruby gratefully obliged. Sie had no desire to wander about in the dark, particularly in such a strange town.

If sie only knew where the moving van had led hir.


End file.
